Stepping into Her Father's Shoes
As a first-time CEO, Karen Norheim had to figure out how to lead her company, American Crane through the crisis of the pandemic and the passing of the company’s beloved founder — her father. Norheim leveraged
Vistage to help gain confidence, find her unique leadership style, and grow the company in new and innovative ways.
About Karen Norheim and American Crane Karen Norheim worked up the ranks of her father’s crane construction business until he handed her the reins as president in 2019. Shortly after, the pandemic hit. One year later, her father— the company’s beloved founder— passed away. She had to lead her staff through crisis and grief. She also had to find a way of running the business that felt true to her unique leadership style.
She says having the support of her Vistage CEO peers and Vistage Chair (CEO coach), has been invaluable. “We were able to reboot our culture of heart, integrity and perseverance. We created our new ‘Smart Crane’ technology and machine health IOT devices. Sales have grown nearly 20% from the year before and I developed confidence as a leader. Being a CEO is not easy, but Vistage helps me overcome my biggest challenges.”
